A Hero's Encouragement
by BigD1987
Summary: Being a hero is hard. Link is finding that out the hard way. But just as he begins to question his mission, he gets a visit from a friend from beyond the grave.


The Bulbin howled in pain as the Master Sword was thrust into its chest. Link drew the sword from it and it fell to the ground, disappearing a cloud. He didn't have time to rest. He heard another one coming up behind him. _OOF!_ The Bulbin whacked him in the back. He fell into a face full of dirt. He rolled out of the way when the Bulbin's club whacked into the ground. _CLANG! _With sword in his right hand, he blocked the Bulbin's club. He took the shield and whacked the Bulbin in the head.

Bulbins must be made of hard stuff, because it didn't look like its head was bashed in. It looked shaken, alright, but not down. Link got back up and gave the master Sword a mighty swing. It knocked the Bulbin away about 15 feet. But it _still _wouldn't die! Link groaned as the Bulbin got back up. But maybe just one or more strikes could work.

He raised the sword above his head to deliver a final blow. But something happened. Instantly, he felt some strange power coming from the sword. He noticed the blade starting to glow blue. It didn't matter that he was confused, because the Bulbin looked just as surprised at him. He never knew he could do this!

Then the Bulbin growled and charged him. Out of reflex, he swung the sword downwards. The light cut through the Bulbin, killing it. He stood there amazed at the power of the Master Sword. But he had little time to admire it. He'd just gotten rid of every Bulbin in Grooston and now it was time to free the village kids. Said kids were locked up in a nearby cave by Bulbins.

With a swing of the sword, he freed the kids and let out a sigh. A job well done... or so he thought. He noticed the mayor coming towards him. "The Bulbins are taken care of," he said. "And the kids are okay."

"You idiot!" the mayor shouted. "You nearly destroyed the village!" he gestured to some damage caused during the fight he had with the Bulbins. Hoo boy, it didn't look good.

"Sorry," he said. "But you should expect a little damage -"

"NO!" the mayor screamed. "You agreed to cause less damage than the Bulbins did! You made it worse! Forget payment, get out of my town _NOW!_"

Link just couldn't believe what he heard. Okay, so he did cause a lot of damage (he was expecting to at least be forced to fix it up), but this? It felt like Ilia had stabbed him in the gut. "Can't I fix it up? I can do it for free!"

"I said get out!" the mayor shouted.

Link hung his head and looked at the citizens of Grooston. Even they were eying him angrily. They were all shielding their kids from him like he was in wolf form. "Leave now or else I'll have you arrested, hero or not," said the mayor.

Link sighed and sheathed his blade. Dejected, he walked away with his head hanging.

He knew being a hero would be hard. He knew that sometimes he wouldn't get any thanks. He knew that he'd have to cause damage. But this _HURT_. He couldn't just hop on Epona (she was nowhere in sight) and ride away. No, he had to walk away from Grooston like a town drunk. It had been a rough month for him. Ilia lost her memory, Midna nearly died and he had to watch Hyrule Castle being imprisoned in a force field.

Not only that, but he was exhausted. He's been doing this for so long his muscles are starting to ache. His tunic was caked with blood that he hadn't washed out; some of it was his. Not even sleep or a red potion could make him feel refreshed. Even now he felt like he could collapse at any second.

He cursed Zant under his breath for what he'd caused. He'd put him through hell. He'd come close to killing him several times. He turned him back into a wolf almost permanently and (indirectly) almost killed Midna. And if this "Ganondorf" guy was anything, Zant was _really _putting him through hell.

It was times like this that understandably made him question his role.

He collapsed against a rock and watched the sun going down. He let out a sigh and said, "Midna?"

"Yes?" the Twili imp asked, materializing.

"What am I fighting for?"

She looked at him as if he lost his mind. "Are you crazy?" she asked. "What kind of question is that?"

"What in the Goddesses' name am I fighting for? !" he said more firmly.

"Ilia," she said.

"That's obvious," he said. "But what am I _really _fighting for?"

Midna opened her mouth as if to respond. But she closed it quickly. She could see the hurt and confusion in his eyes. "My world," she said.

_"Your _world," he said. "Not mine?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "What has gotten into you?"

"I just... feel... ugh."

"Well, if you can't say anything, then don't bother me!" she said, returning to his shadow. Link laid the back of his head against the rock he was sitting against. Maybe Midna had a point. It was possible he was going through a phase. But it didn't feel like one.

The sun continued to go down and he started getting a campsite ready.

Later that night, he settled into his sleeping bag for a good night's sleep. But it was a new moon, completely dark. The problem with a new moon is that an enemy could sneak up on him and kill him in his sleep. Because of this, Link trained himself to become a medium-to-light sleeper. He could sleep as deeply as he wanted in Ordon, but Ordon didn't have monsters trying to kill him. Still, he did have Midna to keep watch if necessary.

Anyway, he curled up and let the sounds of the night lull him to sleep. The crickets sang a lullaby that made Link nearly fall deeper into sleep. He wanted to resist, but it was so peaceful. And Midna hadn't alerted him to any enemies yet. As far as he knew, he was all alone.

... Or was he?

For some reason, he stirred in the middle of the night. He tried to go back to sleep, but he found it hard. And it was such a nice dream, too (all the ale he could drink at Telma's and he wasn't getting drunk!). But something didn't feel right. It felt like there was something else in the campsite with him. And it felt... unworldly. Was it a Shadow Beast? No, it didn't feel like it. His wolf senses would have alerted him. But in the pitch blackness of the campsite, he knew something was there.

Luckily the Master Sword was in arm's reach, another preparatory measure. He reached for the grip with his dominant right hand and pulled it out, the blade gleaming in the night. How it could gleam on a new moon was beyond him. But either way, whatever it was would feel the cold steel of his blade and—wait a minute! That's not the moon causing the gleam!

Okay, this is strange! The campground was illuminated by _something._ He slowly unsheathed the sword, waiting for whatever it was to get close. When he felt he couldn't wait any longer, he struck!

_"HI-YA!_" he swung the sword, only to be blinded by the light of whatever was in the campsite. He felt the chill of the night air on his under tunic (his green tunic was off to the side) while he shielded his eyes. "Who goes there? !" he shouted.

"Is that really necessary?" a voice asked.

"Answer my question!" Link shouted. "Who are you?"

"You really want to know?" the voice asked.

"Show yourself! And turn down the light!"

"Sorry," said the voice. The light turned down and Link was able to put his arm down and—what in the names of the Goddesses?

"Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?" Link was at a loss for words. Standing in front of him was... Him!

Well, not exactly, those pants seemed different. He had softer features, too. And that tunic looked brighter, his hair was lighter... who is this guy? ! But other wise, he looked just. Like. Link. But, he seemed transparent, like a ghost.

"I see you're at a loss for words," said the ghost.

"Is this some kind of joke?" asked Link. "Midna!"

"Who's Midna?" asked the ghost.

"So you're not some prank," said Link.

"Nope," said the ghost.

"So... what's your name?"

"Link."

"Link?" The ghost nodded. "I must be dreaming! OW!"

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know!" said the living Link. "Are you real?"

"Of course I'm real!" said the ghost Link.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see how my reincarnation was doing," said the ghost Link.

"Reincarnation?" The ghost nodded. "Why?"

"I understand you're going through a rough patch," said the ghost Link. The living Link lowered the Master Sword. "Oh, I see you're taking good care of Fi."

"Fi?" the living Link asked. "You named the sword?"

"Fi is the name of the sword spirit," he said. Now Link understood why he felt that presence in the Sacred Ground. "I'm glad she and I have met again."

"She?" asked Link. "Sorry, it's just..."

"You're having a hard time."

"Exactly," said the living Link. The ghost Link sat down near his sleeping bag.

"I saw that mayor," said the ghost Link. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't want that," said Link. "I did what I could. It's just that... I don't know what I'm fighting for."

"I'm sorry," said ghost Link.

"So if your name is Link... and I'm your reincarnation... ugh, my head hurts."

"It's a lot to think about," said the ghost.

"So... you're a hero," said living Link. "And my past life. So, have there been more like me?"

"A _lot _more," said the ghost Link. "I'm the second one. The first one died protecting the land. Now _he's _a special case. he had been locked up for years and he _still _fought for the land that betrayed him."

"He has strange priorities," said the living Link.

"And he's the predecessor for all of us," said the ghost Link.

"How many of us are there?" asked living Link.

"I lost count," said ghost Link. "But I think you've already met one."

"I have? I don't—Oh Gods!" His face showed his realization. "The Hero's Shade!" Ghost Link nodded. "Why?"

"He fought in two timelines," said ghost Link. "After he was sent back to his childhood, he was afraid he wouldn't be remembered. The pour soul can't rest."

"And here I thought he was just a jerk," said Link. "What kind of hero am I?"

"A growing one," said ghost Link. "You're not going to be perfect as soon as you start."

"So you had trouble?" asked living Link.

"Of course," said the ghost Link. "I think every one of us has found it difficult. But we've been able to get by just fine, save for the Hero of Time."

"I just wonder what I'm fighting for," said the living Link.

"All of us are going to go through that," said the ghost Link. "I did too."

"I have Ilia, but she lost her memories," said living Link, kind of ignoring ghost Link. "I feel so unappreciated."

"It happens," said ghost Link. "I felt that way, too. I tried to save my friend, but a servant told me I was too late. I was so crushed I just wanted to curl up and die. But I couldn't. I wanted to help my friend as much as I could."

"I don't know how that applies to me," said living Link.

"Motivation," said ghost Link. "That mayor can be fuel."

"And the castle is incased in a force field," said living Link. "The Princess Zelda was still inside."

"What do you think about her?"

"She's beautiful," said living Link.

"That's not the Zelda I knew," ghost Link chuckled.

"Wha?"

"She was amazing," said ghost Link. "She put others ahead of herself. And she really cared. And when she..." Ghost Link stopped. The living Link reached out to his past incarnation to try and comfort him. Was he... crying?

"I'm sorry," said living Link. "It must have been hard for you."

"It's okay," said the ghost Link. "I guess all of us are fated to meet Zelda. We're connected, all of us. There's some connection between us."

"I wonder..." said living Link. He sighed. "I guess I'm not alone."

"No," said the ghost Link. "You have a whole country that depends on you. You have friends looking out for you. And the rest of us have your back. Maybe when your time comes you'll meet them all."

"I don't plan on dying any time soon," said the living Link.

"I didn't think you would," said the ghost Link. "You can do this. It's just a rough patch, all heroes go through it. And when you come out of it, you'll be a greater hero than you ever knew. And since Fi's with you, I know you're in good hands."

"Thanks," the living Link said with his trademark smile.

"That's the spirit," ghost Link said, standing up. Their conversation over, he began to fade away. "Remember, you can do this! Hyrule's counting on you! Zelda's counting on you! We're all counting on you! Don't let us down!" With that, he was gone.

Link sighed. Now he didn't feel so sad. He had something to fight for, after all. It wasn't just a country; it wasn't just a legacy.

It was for everyone, including himself.

He laid back down and went back to sleep, clutching the Master—or rather, _Fi_, in his right hand. Tomorrow, he'd show Zant he couldn't break him.

He was going to win.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

My first _Zelda _story! I think it was okay, tell me what you guys think!

Anyway, this should not be of surprise, but the living Link here is the one from _Twilight Princess_, which is one of my favorite games. The dead one is, should be a no-brainer, the one from _Skyward Sword_... which I haven't finished yet.

Anyway, some of the references are pretty subtle and I'll award you a digital cookie if you can figure them out.

Yeah, it's sort of a belated 25th anniversary tribute (26th, haha). I didn't want to inundate the story with too many references though, since it'd get pretty heavy. So I just decided to write something about a past Link giving a current one a little pep talk. I think it's a good plot idea.

...And the _Twilight Princess _Link is right-handed. So sue me, I don't care.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!


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